Continuous winding apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an apparatus for automatically and electrically cutting wires, especially those of large diameters, in a high-speed continuous winding apparatus, particularly one having two or more spools for successive wire winding, in which a wire is made to contact and short with a plurality of closely arranged electrodes while being moved from a spool on which the wire has been wound in a prescribed quantity to another empty spool and, at the point of contact, melted to break or to be so softened by heat as to be torn off under wire tension.

United States Patent Inventors Kazumasa Morikawa lchihara-shi; Makoto Kobayashi, Nikko-shi; l-liromitsu Sato, Nikko-shi; Jun Nakajima, Nikko-shi, all of Japan App]. No. 877,770

Filed Nov. 18, 1969 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 Assignee The Furukawa Electric Company Limited Tokyo, Japan Priorities Nov. 26, 1968 Japan 43/86576;

Oct. 13, 1969, Japan, No. 44/81671 CONTINUOUS WINDING APPARATUS 6 Claims, 23 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 2l9/l55, 242/25 A Int. Cl C2ld 9/62, H05b l/OO, B65h 54/00 Field of Search 2 l 9/ l 55;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,667,557 l/l954 Herzog 2l9/l 3,051,403 8/l962 Johnson 242/25 3,327,957 6/1967 Trenerry 242/25 3,431,384 3/1969 Cooper 219/68 Primary Examiner-J. V. Truhe Assistant ExaminerLawrence A. Rouse Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack ABSTRACT: The present invention provides an apparatus for automatically and electrically cutting wires. especially those of large diameters, in a high-speed continuous winding apparatus, particularly one having two or more spools for successive wire winding, in which a wire is made to contact and short with a plurality of closely arranged electrodes while being moved from a spool on which the wire has been wound in a prescribed quantity to another empty spool and. at the point of contact, melted to break or to be so softened by heat as to be torn off under wire tension.

PAIENTEnuuv 16 I9?! 3,621 190 sum 01UF18 FIG.1

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4 HIROMITSU SATO and JUN NAKAJIMA,

INVEN'IUR. S

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INVEN'IUR. S

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millulu! 11m ALLorm-ys PAIENTEBuuv 16 um i 3.6 21 1 9 0 sum as or 18 FIGJZ 31 40,34 36 FIG.13 40/ 36 I KAZUMASA MORIKAWA, MAKOTO KOBAYASHI, IIIROMITSU SATO and JUN NAKAJIMA,

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INVENTUR. S

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HIROMITSU SA'IO and JUN NAKAJIMA,

INVI5N'I 0R4; whim/kin M ATTORNEYS CONTINUOUS WINDING APPARATUS The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically and electrically cutting wires, especially those of large diameter, in a high-speed continuous winding apparatus, particularly one having two or more spools for successive wire winding, in which wire is cut while being moved from a full spool to an empty spool.

Conventionally, when wires are made, it has been necessary to install an automatic and continuous wire winding apparatus for winding wires coming at a high speed from an extruding machine, a wire-drawing machine or a continuous annealer. And in order to wind the wire on the spools continuously from one spool to another, the winding apparatus is provided with an automatic cutting or shearing apparatus, which can cut the wires in a short time for switching the winding. Various methods and apparatus for automatic cutting or shearing have been developed and used in a high-speed continuous winding apparatus. However, almost all of these apparatus or methods are mechanical, so that a shock is often given upon cutting the wires, and especially, in case of cutting wires of a large diameter, a great shock is given to a winding apparatus and results in damage thereto. And also, it is very often that the operation of cutting becomes remarkedly unreliable and troublesome. Further, again, the conventional mechanical cutting apparatus or methods have such a defect that it is impossible to speed up cutting and to perform a highly efficient high-speed winding operation.

The present invention has for one of its objects to overcome such conventional defects as the above mentioned, and to provide an apparatus for automatic cutting by electricity, which is featured by consecutively winding wires on two or more spools continuously; and provides at least two electrodes, connected with a source of electricity, and installed between both of the spools. When the wire is wound on one spool and then shifted and wound on the other spool, the said travelling wire is contacted with at least two adjacent electrodes above mentioned at least on two close points of the said wire, the portion between the two points contacting with the electrodes being, in a short time, given electricity of high voltage or a large amount of current by the said source of electricity to generate a large amount of heat in the said portion. By the generated heat, the portion between the two points contacting with the electrodes is melted or heated to cut the wire. Thus, the apparatus according to the present invention eliminates shock during the cutting, and also, makes it possible to obtain a highly efficient continuous winding operation with high-speed wire cutting.

The apparatus for automatic wire cutting by electricity according to the present invention can be applied to, generally, (a) a continuous winding apparatus, in which two or more rotating shafts of spools are arranged coaxially to wind consecutively on spools; and (b) a continuous winding apparatus, in which rotating shafts of spools are arranged in parallel to wind the wire consecutively on spools. But, it is more preferable to apply the present invention to the latter-type arrangement.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, by which when a wire is shifted from a spool to another spool, the wire, especially the wire of a large diameter (for example, copper wire of more than 1.6 mm. in diameter) is cut electrically and automatically at a high speed between both of the spools without any shock.

The automatic wire cutting apparatus according to the present invention is such that in a continuous winding apparatus in which wire is wound consecutively on spools and a plurality of electrodes, connected with a source of electricity, are installed between two spools, whereby when the wire is wound on one spool and shifted to another spool, the shifting wire is contacted with the plural electrodes, subjected to momentary application of high voltage or large amount of current from the said source of electricity, and by a large amount of heat generating thereby melted or so softened between the points of contact as to be torn off by wire tension.

As the plurality of electrodes, two electrodes are installed for common use for the two spools, between two spools for common use for the two spools, so as to bring the wire into contact with the two electrodes when the wire is shifted from a spool to another spool, and vice versa. But, sometimes it is necessary to install a pair of electrodes for each spool.

In this case, when a prescribed amount of wire has been wound on a spool on one side, the said wire moves in the direction of an empty spool on another side to be wound thereon. At this moment, it often happens that the finishing end portion of the wire, wound on the former spool, is cut by one or both of the cutting apparatus, which is positioned respectively on the side of the spool on which the prescribed amount of wire has been wound, and on the side of the empty spool. Therefore, if the wire is cut by both the cutting apparatus and the cutting apparatus on the side of the spool on which the prescribed quantity of wire has been wound, the cut piece of the wire flys about, causing danger and damage to the wound wire.

Therefore, another object of the present invention is to eliminate such defects by installing a wire-cutting apparatus for each of two or more spools on which a wire is wound in succession, in such a manner that the cutting apparatus on the side of an empty spool is always in a position to cut the wire, while, the cutting apparatus on the side of the spool on which the wire is being wound, is out of the position to cut the wire.

According to the present invention both of the cutting apparatus are alternately worked to cut the wire at the right place, after it has been wound in a prescribed quantity. Thus, such a defect as occurrence of wire scrap as met in the conventional system can be eliminated.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a continuous winding apparatus in which a wire is wound consecutively on spools with the above-mentioned wire-cutting apparatus, having a barrel for winding the starting end portion of wire to be wound, an end plate having wire catchers on the circumferential fringe, and a barrel for winding the finishing end portion of wound-up wire with a cover on the periphery; all of said spools, barrels and end plates being installed in the said order on a driving shaft, on which the spool is supported, and also having an apparatus for winding up the starting end portion of wire to be wound on the former barrel, an apparatus for winding up the finishing end portion of wound-up wire on the latter barrel, a wire position adjusting guide for adjusting the position of wire so as to catch the wire on the wire catcher, and a traverser, which can also operate for moving the wire from the spool on which a prescribed quantity of wire has been wound toward the empty spool.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for ensuring proper travel of the wire to catch the wire on the wire catcher of the empty spool, when the wire is shifted to the said empty spool from the spool on which a prescribed quantity of wire has been wound.

When the wire is shifted and wound on the empty spool from the spool on which a prescribed quantity of wire has been wound, it is necessary that the wire be strained toward the empty spool by the traverser and the wire be caught on the wire catcher of the empty spool. But there is such a defect as that the wire can not be caught on the wire catcher on the side of the empty spool, because the track of the above-said strained wire changes considerably according to the quantity of wire on the side of the spool having already wound the wire and because the wire swings up and down owing to the large length of the wire between the traverser and the spool. ln order to eliminate such fluctuations, it is necessary to make the contour of the wire catcher much larger than the outer diameter of the flange of the spool. But, as it is desirable to make the apparatus as small as possible, it is natural that the size of the wire catcher is limited. Therefore, it is quite difficult to catch the wire surely on a small wire catcher only, and it is often impossible to perform a perfect gripping.

In order to eliminate such defects in a continuous winding apparatus, a wire position adjusting guide, moving forward 

1. In a continuous wire winding apparatus including two or more spools onto which said wire is to be wound, means to rotate said spools, means positioned to lead said wire onto a first of said spools, and traversing guide means positioned with respect to said spools to selectively guide said wire onto a second of said spools when a prescribed amount of wire has been wound on said first spool; the improvement comprising a first plurality of electrodes and a second plurality of electrodes positioned between said first and second spools said first plurality of electrodes being adjacent said first spool and said second plurality of electrodes being adjacent said second spool; a plurality of wire catchers mounted adjacent the peripheries of said first and second spools adjacent said first and second pluralities of electrodes, respectively, said wire catchers of said second spool adapted to catch said wire when said traversing guide means is traversed to guide said wire onto said second spool; means attached to said pluralities of electrodes to selectively move said second plurality of electrodes into a position to be contacted by said wire when said wire is caught by said wire catchers of said second spool, but to maintain said first plurality of electrodes in a position removed from said wire; and current supply means attached to said pluralities of electrodes for completing a circuit and heating said wire when said wire contacts said electrodes, whereby said wire is severed.
 2. The improvement claimed in claim 1, further comprising first barrel means mounted on each of said spools for winding the starting end portion of said wire when said wire is initially wound on each of said spools; an end plate mounted on each of said spools outwardly of said first barrel means, said wire catchers being positioned on said end plates; second barrel means mounted on each of said spools outwardly of said end plates for winding the finishing end portion of said wire on said spools when said wire has been transferred to another of said spools; cover means covering each of said second barrel means for preventing said finishing end portion from randomly swinging; at least one catching guide movably positioned between said spools for adjusting the vertical position of said wire after the traversing movement of said traversing guide means; and at least one wire position adjusting guide mounted between said spools for selectively moving said wire toward said wire catchers of said second spool after said traversing movement of said traversing guide means.
 3. The improvement claimed in claim 2, wherein said adjusting guide is movably mounted so as to guide said wire to a position to be caught by said wire catchers of said second spool.
 4. The improvement claimed in claim 2, wherein said adjusting guide is attached to said catching guide in such a manner that the level of said adjusting guide is adjustable.
 5. The improvement claimed in claim 2, further comprising a screen positioned between said first and second spools and serving as a stopper between said spools, said screen being movable from between said spools when said wire is shifted and operable as a wire guide to wind said finishing end portion of said wire.
 6. The improvement claimed in claim 5, further comprising screen means mounted on each side of said traversing guide means for aligning with said screen when said screen is advanced between the spools when the wire is wound. 